LinkedIn outreach automation Closely Review: Is It Still Worth It in 2026?
Closely is a cloud-based, multi-sender LinkedIn outreach automation platform with AI personalization, best for agencies running 5+ LinkedIn accounts. A 14-day trial needs no credit card, then pricing is $29 per sender per month billed annually or $49 monthly. Skip it if you run a single LinkedIn account, prioritize EU/APAC contact coverage, or already pay for overlapping data and sequencing tools.
Closely is a multi-account LinkedIn outreach platform with cloud-based infrastructure, AI-assisted personalization, and per-sender pricing that gets cheaper as you scale (5+ senders → Enterprise custom quote (old $29/sender (flat post-2026) headline ELIMINATED 2026 ; flat $29/sender annual at all advertised tiers)). Best for agencies and SDR teams running 5+ LinkedIn accounts; overkill if you only need one account or pure cold email.
- You run 5+ LinkedIn accounts (agency or scaled SDR team)
- You want one platform for DB + scraper + sequencer + AI personalization
- You need cloud execution (no Chrome extension dependency)
- You run a single LinkedIn account (Heyreach, Dripify, or Waalaxy are simpler)
- You prioritise EU/APAC contact coverage (Apollo or Cognism have more)
- You're already paying for Apollo + Lemlist + a scraper: Closely overlaps
Install the add-on and enrich your lists without leaving your spreadsheet.
Install in Google Sheets →
https://app1.derrick-app.com/mcp Call the same enrichment endpoints straight from your own stack or workflow.
Read the API docs →
Overview
What is Closely?
Closely is a B2B LinkedIn outreach automation platform launched in 2021. Its core product is a multi-account sequencer: connect 1 to 50+ LinkedIn accounts, build sequences with connection requests + messages + InMails, and let Closely run them in the cloud (no Chrome extension required, no local machine dependency). The platform also includes a 600M+ contact database, a Sales Navigator scraper, and an integrated email-finder + sender for hybrid LinkedIn + email campaigns.
Pricing
Closely pricing 2026
Pricing collected from closelyhq.com/pricing (May 2026) via the embedded sender-tier slider data attributes (sender-price-1, sender-price-2to5, sender-price-6plus).
| Plan | Price | Typical use | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter (annual) | $29/sender/month | 1 sender, annual billing | 1 LinkedIn account · all features · $348 billed annually |
| Starter (monthly) | $49/sender/month | 1 sender, no commitment | 1 LinkedIn account · all features · cancel anytime |
| Growth (2-5 senders) | $23-39/sender/month | Small agency or sales team | Per-sender pricing scales down · annual $23, monthly $39 |
| Growth (6+ senders) | $17-29/sender/month | Agencies, scale teams | Cheapest per-sender · annual $17, monthly $29 |
| Enterprise | Custom | 10+ senders, white-label, dedicated CSM | Annual contract, sales-led |
What the pricing page doesn't show
The headline "$29/sender (flat post-2026)" requires 6+ senders AND annual prepay: solo users on monthly pay $49/sender. The 600M database has a separate query allowance (capped per tier) that isn't called out on the pricing slider: heavy DB users hit query caps before they hit sender caps. Email-sender volume is also capped : 50/day on Starter, 200/day on Growth, fine for LinkedIn-first stacks but tight for email-heavy campaigns.
Where Closely is fair value
If you're an agency or in-house team running 5+ LinkedIn accounts, the per-sender economics beat Heyreach, SuperGrow, and Expandi at the same scale. The bundled database + scraper + AI personalization removes ~$200/mo of stack cost (no separate Apollo, no separate scraper, no separate icebreaker AI). The trade-off is platform lock-in : everything runs through Closely, so when you outgrow it (white-label, API, 50+ accounts), the migration cost is real.
Verdict in detail
Closely Pros & Cons - Summary That Actually Helps You Decide
Pulled from G2 + Capterra verified-buyer reviews (Q1 2026), filtered for substance. Closely's strongest signals : the multi-account economics, the cloud-execution stability, and the AI icebreakers.
Cheapest per-sender at scale
Above 6 senders, Closely drops to $17-29/sender/month, significantly under Heyreach ($79), SuperGrow ($69), Expandi ($79). For agencies managing 10-50 client accounts, the savings are real.
Cloud-based: sequences run when your laptop's off
Unlike Dripify or Waalaxy (Chrome extension on your machine), Closely runs entirely in their cloud. Sequences keep running on weekends, holidays, and during device migrations. For agencies, this also means clients don't need to keep anything open.
Bundled AI icebreakers actually work
Most "AI personalization" features are gimmicky: generic templates with name-insertion. Closely's icebreakers pull from recent profile activity, posts, and company news, and reviewers consistently report 2-3x better reply rates versus untouched templates.
Solo users pay full freight
The volume discount only kicks in at 2+ senders, and the steep tier is at 6+. Solo users running 1 account pay $29-49/sender/month, competitive but not cheap. If you only need 1 LinkedIn account, Heyreach ($79), Waalaxy ($112), or Dripify ($59) might be simpler.
Cloud execution = slightly higher LinkedIn detection
LinkedIn's anti-automation is harder on cloud-based tools than on Chrome-extension tools that emulate a real user. Closely's 2024 platform upgrade closed most of the gap, but verified-buyer reviews still cite account warnings or restrictions more often than Heyreach or Expandi users.
Database is broad but shallow
The 600M-contact DB is large on paper but coverage outside North America is thinner than Apollo's 275M (which is heavier in EU + APAC). For US-focused campaigns it's competitive ; for EU or APAC prospecting, expect 30-40% lower match rates than Apollo or Cognism.
The honest comparison
Closely vs Derrick - Side by Side
We're biased - Derrick is our product. So this table is the version we'd want our prospects to see before they sign elsewhere.
| CloselyLinkedIn outreach automation | DerrickWeb app · Sheets · Claude · API | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing entry | $29-49/sender/month | Free plan · from €20/month |
| Execution model | Cloud-based (no Chrome extension) | Web app, plus Google Sheets, Claude (MCP) and API |
| Multi-account support | Native, up to 50+ senders | N/A (Derrick is data, not outreach) |
| Bundled database | 600M B2B contacts | Derrick search + enrich |
| AI icebreakers | Bundled all tiers | Via Claude (MCP) or LLM integrations in Sheets |
| LinkedIn detection risk | Cloud, slightly higher than Chrome-ext tools | N/A |
| Best for | Agencies, multi-account SDR teams | List enrichment (web app, Sheets, Claude, API) |
Decision tree
Should You Use Closely?
A short, opinionated guide. We'll tell you when Closely is the right pick - and when it isn't.
Alternatives
LinkedIn outreach automation alternatives to Closely
Tools we'd recommend instead, depending on your stack and budget. Derrick first because it's the only one that lives where you actually prospect.
| Tool | Typical use | Starting price | What it does differently | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D Derrick Recommended | Enrichment layer (web app, Sheets, Claude, API) | from €20/month | Pairs with any LinkedIn sender · No per-seat fees · MCP-ready | → |
 Heyreach | Single-account LinkedIn sender | $79/sender/mo | Cleanest single-account UX, lower LinkedIn detection | → |
 Dripify | Solo LinkedIn automation | $59/mo | Chrome-extension based, single account, simpler | → |
 Expandi | Hyper-personalised LinkedIn at scale | $99/sender/mo | Strong custom-image personalization, multi-account | → |
 Waalaxy | Multichannel for non-technical users | $112/mo | Friendly UX, weaker for agencies than Closely | → |
 Apollo.io | DB + sequencer in one | $49/user/mo | 275M+ DB, but LinkedIn automation is weaker than dedicated tools | → |
Head-to-head: Closely vs 1 competitor
The verdict
Who should skip Closely
Closely is the right tool for agencies and scaled SDR teams running 5+ LinkedIn accounts in parallel. The per-sender economics are the lowest in the category at scale, the bundled database and AI icebreakers eliminate a real stack-cost line, and the cloud execution removes the laptop-on-24/7 friction of Chrome-extension tools. The product is less compelling for solo users (the discount only kicks in at 2+ senders) and for teams whose ICP is EU/APAC-heavy (the database is broader in North America). For the multi-account use case, the only serious alternative is Heyreach, and Heyreach charges 3x more once you cross 5 senders.
Score breakdown
- Ease of use4.0/5Runs entirely in the cloud, so sequences continue when your laptop is off.
- Data quality3.0/5The 600M-contact database is broad but shallow, with thinner coverage outside North America.
- Pricing value3.5/5Per-sender pricing is among the lowest at scale, but solo users with one account pay full price.
- Support & reliability3.0/5Cloud execution faces slightly higher LinkedIn detection than extensions that emulate a real user.
derrick •
Switch from Closely to Derrick
- Web app: import a list or paste LinkedIn URLs, nothing to install
- Free plan: 100 credits every month, no credit card
- Also in Google Sheets, in Claude (MCP) and via the API
- Native LinkedIn and Sales Navigator import
Install the add-on and enrich your lists without leaving your spreadsheet.
Install in Google Sheets → https://app1.derrick-app.com/mcp Call the same enrichment endpoints straight from your own stack or workflow.
Read the API docs →No credit card · No contract
How we review
We read Closely's public pricing page and documentation, analyse verified user reviews on G2 and Capterra, and compare it with Derrick on the same criteria. Derrick is our product, and we say so in every comparison.
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